5 best college football stadiums

1. Size: They don’t have to be 100,000-seat coliseums, but all great venues are overwhelmingly crowded and suffocating for visiting fans and opponents.

2. Noise: They’re deafening, almost to the point where some sort of ear protection – plugs, muffs, fingers – are needed to protect one’s canals and drums.

3. History: They have some sort of back story. Great stadiums aren’t built but made, in short.

4. Aesthetics: It might be a nice panoramic view from the west end zone or a picturesque mountain range in the distance, but each great stadium brings a little something extra to the table for the Art History majors.

So which stadium is the best in college football? Geez, this should be easy. All stadiums are great in their own way, but five stand above the rest. Agree, disagree? Let’s hear about it. A subjective list:

Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Ore.): No place gets louder, according to those who have visited the unfriendly confines, and this despite the stadium’s lower capacity: Autzen allegedly seats less than 55,000, though attendance often creeps above that number on Saturdays. Autzen is sleek, new, fresh, loud, noisy and home to one of the best programs in the country. It hits the high notes.

Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.): Nebraska’s home field aces two of the four above qualities with ease: Memorial Stadium has as much history as anywhere, with a sellout streak dating back to 1962, and with its red-clad crowd and diehard locals has much to offer outside the game itself. It’s also a noisy place when properly motivated, especially at night, and holds more seating after some recent renovations.

Kyle Field (College Station, Texas): When did Kyle Field regain its place as one of the top venues in college football? Against Nebraska, actually, during a 2010 win at home against the Cornhuskers. The stadium’s been loaded since, and especially so after the Aggies’ leap to the SEC. Remember: Kyle Field is huge, it’s loud, it holds a century-plus of history and features some of the most memorable – alright, maybe the weirdest – traditions in the country.

Husky Stadium (Seattle): Washington felt that a decided home-field advantage needed a boost, so here we are: UW put about $250 million into making one of the nation’s most intimidating venues even louder. Great idea! The track around the field has been removed, with the stands moving even closer – while still retaining the overhang feel of the second level, an architectural decision that takes upward-moving noise and echoes it back down, trebling the cheers of an already vociferous fan base. Husky Stadium also features the most beautiful view in the sport: Lake Washington and the Cascade mountains stand majestically behind the east end zone.

Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.): It never rains in Death Valley, it’s said, though even coach Les Miles had to admit a “stiff, wind-driven dew” appeared during the Tigers’ win against Auburn on Sept. 21. What you can count on from LSU’s home field: size, intimidation, noise, earthquake-level reverberations, history, aesthetics and noise. Those who planned and built Tiger Stadium knew what they were doing. Suffocating, claustrophobic and steamy Death Valley seems carved out of another era – I’m thinking ancient Rome.

I found this on FTW and wanted to share:
%link%
For more great sports stories ...
*visit For The Win: https://www.ftw.usatoday.com
*follow @ForTheWin: https://www.twitter.com/forthewin
*like FTW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatodayftw